Veteran’s Administration hospitals hire doctors who have a record of malpractice, disciplinary actions, and unsafe patient care. A recent story in USA Today reports cases of VA hospital doctors with suspended licenses, sexual misconduct, and criminal histories.
The VA hospital negligence report focused on the case of a neurosurgeon, John Henry Schneider. He had worked at the Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Iowa City, Iowa, despite being sued for medical malpractice more than a dozen times. The malpractice lawsuits and settlements for claims took place in two states. The surgeon made medical mistakes that injured, paralyzed and killed patients.
According to the report, Schneider applied to work at the Iowa VA hospital after the state of Wyoming revoked his medical license. Wyoming revoked Schneider’s license after injuring two patients and killing one by making mistakes in surgery. The paper said Schneider told the Iowa City VA hospital about his past medical malpractice problems, including the fact that he’d lost his license to practice in Wyoming. But he still had a valid medical license in Montana, so the VA hired him anyway. The Iowa City VA hospital serves nearly 200,000 patients in three midwestern states.
USA Today’s previous investigations have uncovered a long history of the VA hiring unsafe doctors. In addition, the agency actively concealed doctors’ errors and unsafe practices. In many cases, the VA hospital did not report medical malpractice or doctor errors to state licensing boards. Doctors forced out of practicing medicine at a VA hospitals left with confidentiality agreements, preventing new employers from learning about their unsafe ways. The VA did not comply with a rule that requires them to report medical malpractice to the National Practitioner Data Bank.
Suing a VA Hospital for Medical Malpractice
Concealing the work of dangerous doctors can ruin the chances of successfully suing to recover damages for medical malpractice claims. Claims for malpractice and negligence are heavily dependant on accurate medical records. As a result of records being withheld, injured VA hospital patients have lost their right to sue for malpractice.
If you have suffered medical malpractice at a Florida VA hospital, contact the medical malpractice lawyers at Martinez Manglardi. We have been helping malpractice victims get justice for 30 years.
Contact our Florida medical malpractice lawyers at 407-846-2240 for a free consultation.
